Difficulties of the families dependent on small scale fisheries countries were focused upon at the inaugural of four-day international conference on small-scale fisheries governance: Development of well being and sustainability.
The conference hosted by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in collaboration with the Too Big To Ignore (TBTI), a Canada-based research network, here on Tuesday, discussed on resource sustainability and well being of fisheries. University of Hyderabad chancellor CH Hanumantha Rao inaugurated the conference, while Ratana Chuenpagdee, director of TBTI-global partnership for small-scale fisheries from Canada was the chief guest.
Kerala Fisheries University vice-chancellor Madhusoodhana Kurup presided over the inaugural programme. CESS director S Galab explained the objectives of the conference. In the post-inaugural press conference, Madhusoodhana Kurup and others said India is the second largest fish producer in the world after China. Fisheries sector contributed about Rs 67,913 crore during 2009-10, which is about 1 per cent of the total GDP at factor cost and 5.41 percent of the GDP at factor cost from agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.
They said fishery sector makes a vital contribution in employment generation and foreign exchange revenues and has a crucial role to play in sustaining well being and eradicating poverty of millions of people. However, the sector, particularly small scale fishery received less attention in our development planning. As a result, a majority of small-scale fisherfolk remains poor. They are vulnerable due to the impact of globalisation and climate change. They are mostly marginalised or ignored and underrepresented in national and international policy forums.